Won't participate in election to posts of president, PM, speaker: ANP chief

<p>Peshawar, Mar 1 (PTI): The Awami National Party (ANP) has announced it will not be part of the electoral process to be held for the posts of president, prime minister and speaker of the national assembly, alleging that Pakistan's new parliament is not controlled by the true representatives of the people.</p><p>ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan made the announcement through a statement issued here on Thursday night.</p><p>The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazlur has also said that it will not participate in the election for the posts. The new parliament is not controlled by the true representatives of the nation and the party will not participate in the election to be held for these posts, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman had said on Thursday.</p><p>The ANP said it will not be part of the parliamentary elections being held in the national assembly and the senate for the elections for the posts of president, prime minister and speaker.</p><p>Khan, 75, said his party wanted civilian supremacy, and a strong democracy and parliament in the country.</p><p>The massive use of money in the present elections has no precedence in the entire parliamentary history of the country, he alleged.</p><p>The ANP, in the current situation, is not in a position to take sides in the elections in the national assembly, the provincial assemblies and the senate, it said.</p><p>"We have been offered lucrative positions by the parties having majority in parliament but we do not believe in politics of power and seats in parliament. We firmly believe that first the stolen mandate should be given back to the true representatives," Khan said.</p><p>The ANP supremo said further decisions with regard to the role in parliament would be taken with consensus in due course of time.</p><p>According to Pakistani officials, the new Prime Minister of Pakistan is likely to take the oath of office by March 5 while the elections for the selection of Speaker and Deputy Speaker is due on March 1.</p><p>Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party-backed independent candidates won more than 90 seats in the 266-member National Assembly. The party has alleged massive rigging during the elections. PTI AYZ ANB ANB</p><p><i>(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)</i></p>

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